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Boston Red Sox: Ranking the top 10 players from the 1970s

By Drew Athans

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1978: Butch Hobson #4 of the Boston Red Sox in action against the New York Yankees during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Hobson played for the Red Sox from 1975-80. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1978: Butch Hobson #4 of the Boston Red Sox in action against the New York Yankees during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Hobson played for the Red Sox from 1975-80. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – CIRCA 1974: Dwight Evans #24 of the Boston Reds Sox bats against the Baltimore Orioles during an Major League Baseball game circa 1974 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Evans played for the Red Sox from 1972-90. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – CIRCA 1974: Dwight Evans #24 of the Boston Reds Sox bats against the Baltimore Orioles during an Major League Baseball game circa 1974 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Evans played for the Red Sox from 1972-90. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Dwight Evans

Spending all but the final season of his twenty year career with the Red Sox, Dwight Evans was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to his power numbers but a stellar defensive right fielder his entire career. Even though his career numbers are almost identical to Hall of Fame teammate Jim Rice, Evans didn’t become a consistent power threat until the late 1970s which has probably hurt his candidacy (although in my opinion he belongs in Cooperstown).

Coming up with the Red Sox for the first time in 1972, Evans became a regular in 1973 and proceeded to put up a .261 average with 110 home runs, 383 RBI, a .342 OBP, and a .783 OPS between 1972 and 1979. Those are respectable numbers but it wasn’t until 1978 that Evans became a reliable 20-30 home run per season threat. The bulk of his career numbers were put up in the 1980s.

Still, Evans more than made up for it with his defense in right field and he won three of his eight Gold Glove awards in the 1970s (in 1976, 1978, and 1979). His catch in the top of the eleventh inning in Game Six of the 1975 World Series saved the game for the Red Sox and allowed Carlton Fisk to hit his dramatic game-winning home run in the twelfth inning which got the Red Sox to Game Seven. Evans had several big hits in that series, too, hitting .292 with one home run and five RBI.

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